Scottish Work-Related Road Fatality Register

A live, illustrative record of fatal road collisions in Scotland with a possible work-related dimension.

The live map loads data from Google Sheets, which some organisations' networks block. If the map is blank, try a personal device, or view the register directly.

Locations shown are approximate and indicative of the general area only, not the precise crash site. They are compiled from public police and media reports. We've taken care with accuracy but cannot guarantee it — if you spot an error, please contact us.

What this is

This register tracks fatal road collisions in Scotland reported in the press and in Police Scotland appeals, and flags those where a vehicle was — or may have been — being used for work at the time.

Its purpose is to make visible how often people die in collisions involving someone who was driving for work.

We publish it to support awareness, discussion and the case for better management of occupational road risk. It is a complement to official statistics, not a replacement for them.

Why this matters

Occupational road risk is not only a risk to employees; it is a risk those employees' journeys carry to everyone else on the road. Making that visible is the central purpose of this register.

It adds value in ways official statistics, for all their authority, currently do not:

• It surfaces the work dimension. National casualty statistics are reliable on how many people die, but weaker on whether a work journey was involved — journey purpose is under-recorded and not readily published. This register reads the circumstances of each collision and makes that judgement explicit.
• It is current. Official figures are published well after the event. This register is updated within days of a collision, while the facts — and the public's attention — are fresh.
• It puts a spotlight on prevention. Every entry is, in effect, a collision that might have been prevented through better management of driving for work. The register is a standing reminder of why that management matters.
• It can be tested against the official record. Because each case is documented, it can be reconciled against official data — both to understand what the press sample misses and to measure how often the work-related nature of a death goes unrecorded.

What this is not

This is not a complete count of road deaths in Scotland. It is a press-captured sample. It will always be smaller than the true number, because not every fatal collision is reported in the media or carries a public police appeal.

For complete and authoritative figures on road deaths and casualties in Scotland, refer to the official STATS19 statistics published by Transport Scotland and the Department for Transport.

How to read the figures

Two things are important to understand before drawing conclusions from this register.

1. Its coverage appears high, but is not guaranteed complete. Scotland records roughly 130–160 road deaths a year. Early comparison against official year-to-date figures suggests this register captures a high proportion of fatal collisions — better than a press-based record might be expected to — but it is still a press-captured sample, and some cases, particularly quieter single-vehicle deaths on rural roads, may be missed or reported late.

2. Treat any work-related proportion with care. Collisions that close major roads (often those involving lorries, vans and buses) tend to be reported more prominently than others. Any case that is missed is more likely to be an "ordinary" private-car collision than a work-vehicle one, so the work-related share shown here may run slightly higher than the true figure across all road deaths. We publish the proportion only with this caveat, and would encourage anyone citing it to do the same.

In short: treat the cases as real and informative, and treat any percentage as illustrative and provisional until it has been reconciled against official STATS19 data.

How a collision is classified

For each collision we record the location, date, vehicles involved, who died, and our assessment of work-relatedness. Vehicles are assessed from the descriptions given in police and press reports. Each case is placed in one of four categories:

• Strong indicator — an unambiguous work vehicle was involved (for example an HGV, a clearly commercial van such as a Transit, Sprinter, Vivaro or Citan, a bus, or a taxi).
• Possible — a vehicle that could have been used for work but is also commonly private (for example a pickup, a Land Rover Defender, or a car-derived van).
• No indication — only private cars were involved, with no sign of a work journey.
• Unknown / too early — there is not yet enough detail to judge.

• Branded does not mean working. A vehicle in company livery is not necessarily on a work journey. We do not treat livery alone as proof of a work journey.
• Private cars can be work journeys ("grey fleet"). Conversely, an unmarked private car may well have been driven for work. Press reports rarely reveal this, so these cases are routinely under-counted everywhere, including here.

Known limitations, in plain terms

• Incompleteness. As a press-captured sample it may miss some fatal collisions — most likely lower-profile, single-vehicle or rural cases, or deaths reported after a delay. Early comparison with official year-to-date figures suggests coverage is high, but completeness is not guaranteed.
• Reporting bias. More prominent collisions (often those involving large or commercial vehicles) may be over-represented relative to their true share, so any work-related proportion may run slightly high.
• Source dependence. Details come from press and police reports, which can be incomplete, occasionally inconsistent between sources, or revised as investigations progress.
• Judgement. Work-relatedness is assessed from limited information. The "Possible" category exists precisely because some cases cannot be resolved from public reporting.
• Timing. Some deaths occur days or weeks after the collision; a few cases sit at the boundary of what counts. These are handled case by case and noted.

A note of respect

Every entry in this register is a person who died, and a family and community affected. We maintain it to help prevent future deaths through better management of work-related road risk.

If you believe an entry is inaccurate, or you would prefer a detail to be amended, please contact us.

For authoritative road-casualty statistics, see Transport Scotland and the Department for Transport's published figures.